LEVAR BURTON'S "Reading Rainbow" inspired a love of reading and learning for 26 years.
I had to wait a couple of months before it really soaked in – “Reading Rainbow” is gone.
The truth is, like “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” and other Public Television staples, “Reading Rainbow” will live on through repeats, for awhile at least. That is, until it actually dates itself and is pushed into the vaults to be rediscovered in another format (perhaps a retrospective DVD release?). I give it maybe another decade.
Every generation has its unique design, and the longer “Reading Rainbow” is off the air, the further away those kids will be from the current generation. They’ll have a harder time connecting (“Hey! That kid has a high-top fade!” “She’s wearing a Hanna Montana shirt!”).
Shows like “Sesame Street” are supposed to stay not only educational, but relevant to the upcoming generation. We’re already moving into another decade and those kids that appeared this year on “Reading Rainbow” will soon be entering middle school and eventually high school.
With today’s children, according to the Department of Education, the problem isn’t getting children to read, it’s teaching them how to read. Therefore, the focus of kid’s programming has to be on phonics and spelling. That was the explanation for the show being cancelled. Forget the joy of reading – we have to teach kids how to read first. There’s some logic in that. Then again, it could be faulty logic.
I don’t know about you, but the minute I see someone having a good a time, I either want to share in that good time or at least find out what all the fuss is about.
“Reading Rainbow” had kids recommending books to other kids, and it simply made you want to read. If I couldn’t read, “Reading Rainbow” would have made me want to learn.
They would even present a storybook story with a narrator. A clever device in that it still required some imagination on the viewer’s part to fully comprehend the story. I loved how they would shower a book with praise, and then Levar Burton would turn to the camera and say, “But don’t take my word for it…”
In other words: read.
Teaching the joy of reading is just as important as teaching the letter “A” sounds like ahhhhh and is the first letter of the word “apple.” The two are interchangeable. For too long we have been moving towards a world in which visual mediums such as video games, movies, and television have overtaken our imaginations, leaving little room for the theater in our mind’s eye.
Reading, for most adults and children is either part of an assignment or will be a part of an assignment. Sure, plenty of people read for pleasure but those numbers are fewer than they were in the 1980s (when “Reading Rainbow” made its debut).
I thought that the “Harry Potter” phenomenon would cause a ripple effect, but it really hasn’t. “Harry Potter” is its own thing, and I would wager that the child or adult that reads “Harry Potter” novels probably enjoys reading other things as well; not necessarily fantasy, but something.
Teachers can only do so much. And let’s face it, most parents are too busy making ends meet to sit down and read the latest Dan Brown or Michael Eric Dyson. I get that, but reading by example is the best example for children. Telling them to read more just won’t cut it. One must lead by example if it is to ever make an impact.
We have to take reading out of the classrooms. It’s that simple.
“Reading Rainbow’s” place in history is secure (with multiple Emmys and other awards), but why does it have to be history? Despite the decline of the publishing industry, good books are still being printed; good books are still being read.
“Reading Rainbow” not only made reading fun, it kinda made it cool too. I suppose I’ll always remember it that way.
But don’t take my word for it…
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